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HI, I HAVE UNFORTUNATELY, A PROBLEM WITH FALSE WIDOW SPIDERS.

KIM THUNDERKIM THUNDER Posts: 10
in Wildlife gardening
unfortunately I garden for wildlife which means totally organic.But I am hyper-allergenic, which is why I noticed something different setting up home. has anyone got any sound advice for me please.i have been told to destroy every one I spot, which goes against the grain.what to do?
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  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    "I am hyper-allergenic".

    Can you say more about this? Do you mean you are hyper-allergic to spider bites in particular? Are the widows in the garden or in your house?
  • KIM THUNDERKIM THUNDER Posts: 10
    so far only in the garden, I am allergic to any bites or stings even non venomous, but my concern is what to do about the spiders
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited August 2018
    False widow spiders are an invasive species and apparently they threaten some of our rare native fauna.  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-45008157 

    In the absence of any convincing argument to the contrary, and only if you have an authoritative identification from an expert,  I think I would destroy them ... particularly if it came down to them or me.  

    Does anyone on the forum with knowledge of the subject  have a convincing argument to the contrary?

     :) 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • KIM THUNDERKIM THUNDER Posts: 10

    they have been identified correctly and have been here since 1800's but they do eat lots of other spiders and breed prolifically


  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I think you need qualified medical advice and possibly advice from wildlife experts ... we can all give personal opinions, but if your health is at risk then I think you need to be able to make a really informed decision. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Don't bother them and they won't bother you. Good gardens are full of stinging, biting things, you can't wipe them all out.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I was just wondering how extreme your reaction is. My understanding is that the spiders keep very much to themselves. I have some in my shed. I'm not sure how you would go about killing just the false widows.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Fire said:
     I'm not sure how you would go about killing just the false widows.
    The usual method is to use a rolled up copy of the Daily Mail.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • KIM THUNDERKIM THUNDER Posts: 10
    YOU MISUNDERSTAND I DO NOT WANT TO KILL THEM. MY REACTION COULD CAUSE ULCERATION AND I AM DIABETIC. I WANTED TO KNOW IF ANYONE ELSE HAS HAD PROBLEMS WITH THEIR NUMBERS OR WHERE THEY LIKE TO BE...IN THE WARM!!
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    It's ok. We're just trying to find out info. I agree with Dove that if your health is at risk and you're worried then speak to your local public health officials.

    I haven't seen on this forum anyone worried about false widow numbers, in answer to your question. Checking the forum history (over the last five years), we haven't had a single thread about them until now. We do get a lot of queries about ants, rats, mice, millipedes and lots of other pests, so I suspect the members would not be slow to flag a problem with spiders if they had any. I hope that helps to address your query a little.
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